ridecamp@endurance.net: Re: [endurance] combined post: idiots & cell phones

Re: [endurance] combined post: idiots & cell phones

Nikki Ward (u913558@student.canberra.edu.au)
Thu, 18 Jan 1996 16:22:08 +1100 (EDT)

On Wed, 17 Jan 1996, Samm C Bartee wrote:

> I want to just be able to show some of the idiots pictures of what
> happens when dumb people try and show off to their friends by spooking
> the horse. I have seen some very graphic photos of dead horses and dead

oh this struck a chord with me all right. i have a certain amount of
patience with the drunks and the hunters and the other ignorant idiots
out there who don't know what they are doing could hurt some-one (not
alot of patience mind you, but some :-). but i have no patience
whatsoever with the deliberate idiots who TRY to spook your horse and who
think it's funny to see you tossed off onto your head. they'd better
watch out if they bother me because i'll have their number and my first
stop on the way home is the police station.

one of our favourite places to ride was in the plantation forests. good
tracks, generally only used by horses and walkers and joggers and the odd
mountain bike. we all get on fine. the occasional car comes through too -
on a sunday drive. this is no big deal - the tracks are wide, there's
room for two cars to pass and my horse ain't THAT fat :-)

on one particular occasion we were riding along the track beside the
river. the river is in quite a steep valley at this point and the road
was quite high above it, with a rough drop down into the river. we were
on the river side of the road (i always keep to the outside of bends if i
can - cars etc have more chance of seeing you) and a car came along. we
were riding side by side, but close to the edge and there was plenty of
room for the car to pass. they even slowed down so we relaxed thinking it
was a nice driver. more fool us. he slowed down so he could wind down his
window, reach out and throw something at the horse as he gunned the
engine right next to us, then took off, showering us in gravel! my
friend's horse was on the inside and naturally freaked out. it leapt
sideways and ran into my horse who was on the drop side. and to this day
i thank my lucky stars he is a solid horse, only two feet went over the
edge and he managed to hold himself up with the other two, by this time
with me and my friend on his back as she had come off her horse and
landed over his withers! i shudder to think what would have happened if
he had have been lighter and easier to knock aside, or if he'd have
freaked as well......

take care out there everyone!

nik & the gang (taaj, saki & dippa) in australia